Victoria Faces Slander Trial

[Deadman]

Victoria Beckham must face a slander trial over allegedly accusing shop owners of selling fake autographs of husband David.

Three Court of Appeal judges have given the go-ahead for the action over her alleged "loud and rude" outburst.

A family-run shop is claiming £500,000 damages against the former Spice Girl.

Timothy, Glynis and Anthony McManus and their company, GT's Recollections, claim that after Victoria's allegations at the Bluewater shopping mall in Kent, they suffered financial loss.

They say sales dropped dramatically after publicity in the press and gossip circulating in the trade.

The judges awarded legal costs estimated at £100,000 against the wife of the England captain.

James Price QC, representing the shop owners, had told Lords Justices Waller, Clarke and Laws at a hearing last month that the alleged words were spoken by Victoria in March 2001 when two shop assistants and at least three customers were in the open-fronted shop.

"What is alleged is that the defendant's manner of making these statements was rude and loud and unreasonable and such as to draw attention to what she said ... Our case overall is that this sort of thing said by a super celebrity in a public place is like setting a wildfire."

The case went to the Appeal Court after deputy High Court Judge John Previte QC struck out parts of the claim against Victoria after he ruled it was not reasonably foreseeable that she believed her alleged comments would go any further or be reported in the press.

Lord Justice Waller, giving the lead ruling, said if a defendant was aware that what she says or does is likely to be reported, and that a slander is likely to be repeated, there is no injustice in her being held responsible for the damage that the slander causes via publication.

By the way i wasn't sure which forum to put this in - hope its the right one.

[matthew_dixon]

Nope - however true it is, it should go in the Gossip Column because it's not about Victoria's music

Topic now moved

[JamesCarter]

How many trials and court cases does Posh go to? I mean we always hear her more than any of the other spice girls going to court.

[Muzikritik]

Yeah I know! As a group they've been sued by scooter companies and people claiming to have had their songs ripped off by them. Victoria by herself has been in court, after the whole staged kidnapping fiasco, and then her stolen luggage, and then her bodyguard crap and now this. Goddamn!

[Deadman]

Yeah but its not always her getting in trouble - she's sued other people quite a bit too.